This is just a quick note about an email conversation I had with Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes.

He’s been telling me for months (maybe a year) that his 2005 reds are going to change my mind about Finger Lakes red wine, which I’ve never been overly impressed with. And now, it seems that his merlot and reserve cabernet franc are ready for me to taste. Hopefully I’ll have them next week sometime.

But that’s not what I’m writing to tell you guys about. Peter mentioned in passing that he’s leaving for Serbia tomorrow. "Okay, cool," I thought to myself. It’s not the most common vacation destination, but we all know that winemakers can be an eclectic lot.

Turns out that he’s not going for vaction, he’s going to check out Serbian wine country. He was hired by the USDA to "conduct an assessment of the wine industry there." He also said that he doesn’t really know what to expect.

Anyone out there had any Serbian wines?